"Many of Coney Island's landmarks, including Nathan's Famous Hotdogs and the old Cyclone rollercoaster, showed no visible damage. Sandy's high water had piled sand up to 2 feet high on the famous boardwalk."

I went to a ballgame in Coney Island. They sold what they called "Nathan's" hot dogs at the ballpark. Tasted nothing like what Nathan's was selling a couple of blocks away, and cost almost twice as much.

I went to a ballgame in Coney Island. They sold what they called "Nathan's" hot dogs at the ballpark. Tasted nothing like what Nathan's was selling a couple of blocks away, and cost almost twice as much.

One must also be careful at any of the Nathan's franchises scattered around as they are not even close to the original stand either. I gave up on Nathan's unless it is at the original location. This is also true with regard to their fries!

Unfortunately Nathan's did suffer damage in the storm. From their facebook page:

"The original Nathan’s located at Surf and Stillwell Avenues encountered severe water damage. The restaurant will not re-open soon. We are assessing the damages and planning the necessary work so that we may re-open the restaurant at the earliest possible time.

Our Nathan’s situated on the Boardwalk encountered far less damage. It is likely that our restaurant here will re-open in the early sp... ring 2013.

Wayne Norbitz, the President of our company, is one of 5 board members of the Coney Island Alliance. That organization is currently working with governmental and other agencies to seek relief for the residents and business owners within the Coney Island area.

Nathan’s is in the process of making a donation to the New York City Food Bank of approximately 50,000 hot dogs."

More to come… Nathan's franchises are hit or miss. Most are not good. They use skinless dogs and prepare them on roller grills. At least 2 I've gone to are as good as Coney Island minus the atmosphere. The one in the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, N.J. and one on the New Jersey Turnpike. The dogs are the same natural casing franks served at Surf and Stillwell and prepared on a hot griddle. Interesting thing about Nathan's. They are very proprietary and closely guard their image. I was included in the pilot episode for a new show on the Travel Channel called America Eats. The episode was about hot dogs and filmed at Coney Island. Nathan's PR man Bruce Miller was there and found out that someone (me) would be interviewed about hot dogs. They didn't want me anywhere near their restaurant for fear I would be critical of them. My segment was filmed at a new restaurant on the Boardwalk. The owner of this restaurant is making hot dogs a main part of the menu. I was filmed eating a hot dog at this place that was better than Nathan's. I would have mentioned this if I had been given the opportunity.

Tiki, I found a piece of paper with the name of the restaurant alluded to previously. It's Tom's Coney Island. They served a 6 to a lb natural casing Sabrett that was prepared on a hot griddle. Excellent. They are looking into adding 5/1, 4/1, or both.